Morning Exercises at KHWD

After my less than desirable landing performance the day prior, I set out this
past Sunday to get some needed practice on my own. Since I’m cleared for solo
pattern work at the field, what better way to start a Sunday than with some
circuits?

I made quick work of the pre-flight and engine start procedures, without my
instructor I had nothing to chit-chat about, nothing to do but focus on the
work ahead of me with 738VU.

Cleared to taxi, I slowly creep forward, then hit the brakes to check for brake
fluid. Nothing on the left side of the plane, but without a right seat, I can’t
lean far enough over to see the right wheel. I’m sure it’s not leaking brake
fluid, pretty sure anyways. Oh well, let’s keep taxiing.

After completing the run-up, I taxi to the hold short line for 28L, and request
clearance for my circuits. “I should do a soft-field take-off” I think, pushing
the flaps to 10 degrees. Lining up on the center line, I cram the power.
Wobbling to the left I push the right rudder, “don’t hit the tail!” I push the
nose back down again. Soft-fields are challenging, you have to fight the plane
to stay closer to the ground, requiring foot and yoke coordination that I’m
still perfecting. Climbing to 20-30ft, I’m struggling to hold the nose down in
order to continue gaining airspeed to climb out. Reaching about 75 knots, I
concede, retract the flaps, and let the plane climb.

The left pattern is 650ft at KHWD. I have a lot of trouble staying at that
altitude, doubly so without an instructor helping to weigh the plane down. That
first circuit found me at odds with my aircraft, wrasslin’ against it to keep
the right altitude, bobbling around in winds that would be characterized as
“light and variable.” Another unimpressive “pilot in command” moment for me.

Turning late to final, I correct and start lining up for my first approach and
landing. Wobbling down towards the runway, I’m carrying extra speed. I flare
closer to the runway, balloon a little, and start feeling for the runway.
Balloon again, give a little extra power, keep the nose high, that runway is
around here somewhere bump. I’m on the right side (my instructor’s side) of
the runway.

I was cleared for touch-and-go’s, I’ll be damned if I’m not going to take
advantage of it.

Another wobbly circuit, another landing feeling for the runway, another
touch-and-go.

Damnit.

One more circuit, on this approach I found myself feeling for the runway again.
With an uncomfortable feeling in my stomach, I cram the power and initiate a
go-around.

Double damnit.

The next approach isn’t fantastic either, I can’t seem to get my turn from base
to final right. I’m carrying more speed than I should into the flare, the mains
hit, and I bounce high. Bouncing a 172 is a surreal experience, a new one
for me at least, for the ascent I couldn’t actually tell that I wasn’t on the
ground. Reaching the apex, I realized I was in fact still airborne, and I
was in fact falling back down to the ground. I get a modicum of power in too
late, and jolted back down onto the runway.

Between shouting expletives at myself, I decide against a touch-and-go, I turn
on taxiway delta, and call tower:

“Hayward Tower, 738VU off 28L at delta, I’d like to taxiback to start and
straighten my spine out.”

The controller has been the same since I started this morning, I’m assuming he
just witnessed that awful bounce. I figure nobody is going to yell at me for
deviating ever so slightly from the script.

I clean up the plane, carb heat off, flaps up, trim set to take-off, mixture
leaned, take a deep breath, and taxi back to the start of 28L.

Relaxed, I straighten my spine out, screw my head back on correctly, and get
back up into the air for more circuits.

With each circuit improving my landings more, I’m able to mix it up with one or
two short-field landings and take-offs. Circuit after circuit, I keep racking
them up.

By the end of it, I’m back to the slight chirping of the wheels I prefer.

With my landings in better shape, I land full-stop and taxi back to parking and
shut down. All said and done, I think I performed 9 landings and about 11
circuits total.

The plane tied down, I head back to the office to return the binder and
back home for lunch and a normal Sunday afternoon.